


I Need Some Sleep

by pocketwatchangora



Category: Breaking Bad
Genre: Angst, Depression, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Exhaustion, Fluff, M/M, Saul takes care of Jesse, Sleep Deprivation, Starvation, post Full Measure
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-30
Updated: 2016-07-29
Packaged: 2018-03-26 10:16:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3847171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pocketwatchangora/pseuds/pocketwatchangora
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Saul is concerned about how unwell Jesse is looking lately and takes it upon himself to care for him. Eventual fluff/smut.<br/>Title from the song I Need Some Sleep by Eels.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Hey, I have an idea, kid, why don’t you eat something, huh? Seriously, you look like you’re auditioning for Les Misérables.” Jesse glared at him weakly, then rested his head back with a sigh.  
  
“Not hungry…” He muttered. Saul watched the pale eyes close very slowly, squeeze tightly then open again, half-lidded and desperate the close again.  
  
“Kid…I’m not trying to be a Nagging Nelly here but, uh…how long has it been since you got any sleep?” he asked, frowning at the young man. Jesse looked at him for as long as the electrode-less body would allow before his eyes forced themselves shut again.  
  
“Um…Jesus, I don’t know…” he said with a sigh. Saul sighed, running his hand through his hair, then made a decision. He grabbed Jesse’s arm and pulled him up into a standing position. “Hey, man, what the fu-” he attempted to yell but he stopped, eyes closing again and he swayed a little at the sudden loss of blood in his head. Saul grabbed him by the waist before he could collapse, seeing him go pale, holding the impossibly slim body to his own chest in an effort to steady him.  
  
“Ok, kid, are we done with the rebellious teenage angst bullshit now because you’re really starting to scare me. I can’t have you dropping dead in my office, ok? I don’t have the insurance. I’m taking you to my place and we can sort you out with some food and somewhere for you to crash.” Jesse moaned in reply, his brain finally failing to come up with a retort from sleep deprivation.  
  
Still holding Jesse, Saul called Francesca on his office phone. “Frannie, can you cancel all my appointments for today, please. I’m taking Mr. Pinkman home before he literally dies in my arms.” There was a pause before she replied  
  
“Ok.”  
  
Saul sighed and rolled his eyes. He picked up his bag from the desk and half carried Jesse out of the office, telling Huelle to follow so he could open the car for him, his arms being more or less occupied.  
  
“Shit, man, kid looks like death warmed up.” His bodyguard said, frowning at the shadow of the former Jesse Pinkman.  
  
“Tell me about it. Can you open the passenger door for me, Huelle?” he asked. He did so and Saul thanked him, placing Jesse inside his Cadillac, finding the kid was easily pliable so arrangement into the vehicle was easy. Saul then pulled his seat belt on, leaning over him to click it safely in place. He sighed and stood up, closing the door.  
  
“You need me anymore today, boss?” Huelle asked. Saul loosened his tie, shaking his head.  
  
“No, no, you and Frannie can go on home. I’ll see you both in the morning…” he glanced at the young man in the car “maybe..” he added. He waved Huelle goodbye as he headed back inside and got in the car, starting the engine and pulling out of the lot, heading to his own apartment.  
  
Jesse was silent for the whole journey, making Saul worry slightly, but his eyes were open, if barely, and his face was pressed against the cool glass of window, watching the scenery pass him by. Saul didn't attempt any conversation, knowing it was pointless, so he settled with putting the radio on. Now he knew Jesse was out of it, Barry Manilow was playing and he didn't even curl his lip in disgust, nothing.  
  
Saul drove to his apartment and parked, practically dragging Jesse up to his place. Leaving the young, clearly damaged man on his sofa, Saul went into the kitchen and made a call he never wanted to make.  
  
“Yes?”  
  
“Walter, it’s me. Guess who is currently on death’s door sitting on my couch.”  
  
“He’s with you?” Alright, Walt, no need to sound so surprised. Saul rolled his eyes.  
  
“Yes, he came to my office and started smoking dope in my damn waiting room and then he was in my office and looked like he was about to pass out so I brought him to my place. Kid’s sick, man, he hasn't slept or eaten in God knows how long – did you know about this?”  
  
“I knew he was going through a rough patch after his girlfriend and Gale and everything.” The asshole spoke like there was nothing he could do, just matter-of-fact and ‘kids will be kids’.  
  
“Well, I’m gonna keep an eye on him for a while. So he won’t be at work for a few days at least.” Walt sighed like this was huge inconvenience for him.  
  
“Fine, do what you need to do.” He said gruffly and hung up. Saul clenched his jaw, resisting the urge to throw the phone very hard at a wall, and went back in to see Jesse.  
  
The kid was in the same exact position as before, his eyes half lidded and his face lax and puffy-eyed from total lack of rest.  
  
Saul assessed the situation.  
  
The kid was obviously starving, his face overly gaunt and his over-sized clothes hung off his small frame even more than they usually do, but Saul doubted he’d be willing to eat anything.  
  
He was also completely exhausted and probably needed sleep more than he needed anything right now. Saul sighed and went over to sit beside him, the young man barely noticing his presence.  
  
“Hey, uh, Jesse…you wanna go take a nap? I’ve got a memory foam mattress, Egyptian cotton sheets, huh…?” Jesse didn't react. Saul sighed, giving up. “Ok…you want something to drink? How about some coffee? Get that little noggin of yours working again?” Jesse glanced at him and Saul took that as a yes and grinned, heading back into the kitchen. He brewed up a cup of decaf and slipped two Valium tablets (leftovers from ex-in-law visits) in there for good measure, returning to hand it to Jesse. Luckily, the kid seemed conscious enough to recognize it and took a sip, despite it having just been boiled.  
  
“Thanks…” he whispered, eyes down. Saul smiled.  
  
“No problem, kiddo, any time..” he muttered, loosening his tie. He turned on the TV, making sure to put it on something he knew Jesse liked: WWE Wrestling. He watched Jesse’s eyes find the TV and stay on it, obviously eager for something to occupy his mind for a while. He sipped on his coffee almost mechanically, eyes fixed on the screen. Saul relaxed back and watched it too, waiting until Jesse would finally fall asleep so he could put him to bed and he could have a drink.  
  
“Hey…” he was almost startled at Jesse’s voice, looking at him quickly. The kid’s eyes were still on the screen, slightly glazed looking like he’d just sniffed a bump.  
  
Oop, looks like the Valium’s started kicking in. Saul thought. “You ever wonder…who picks their costumes..? Like, do they choose it themselves, ‘cause…why would you want to wear a one-piece like that, you know…?” Oh, Jesus, the kid was a high as a kite.  
  
“Yeah, no, I don’t know to be honest with you, kid…” Saul said, trying to keep the jittery little son of a bitch relaxed.  
  
“’M so tired…” he whispered, like he was about to break. Saul was quickly by his side, hand on the kid’s back.  
  
“You wanna go to bed?” he asked, treating him like a child purposefully. It was the safest course of action when someone was this tweaked. Jesse nodded, rubbing one eye with his sleeve-covered hand. “Ok, let’s get you to bed then, shall we?” he asked, keeping his voice soft and soothing. Jesse gave another nod and Saul pulled him up gently, keeping one hand on his back for security, using the other to guide him towards the bedroom.  
  
He deposited Jesse to sit on the bed, watching the kid in case he got spooked or something. He knelt down and removed Jesse’s shoes and socks then stood to take off his hoodie before getting him to lie down, his head resting on the plump pillows. His eyes closed instantly and he curled into himself, burying his face into the soft hill of goose down.  
  
Saul’s heart broke at the child-like response to a soft, warm bed and he covered the kid up with the thick winter comforter, tucking him in before turning off the light and leaving the door slightly ajar and the hall light on, in case Jesse woke up and freaked out, not knowing where he was.  
  
Saul collapsed back on the couch with a sigh, turning the channel to his favorite old movie channel, settling back to enjoy the security of knowing where Jesse was for once. It was ridiculous how much he worried about the kid, but he was such an innocent soul, despite the drugs, that Saul felt morally obligated to keep him safe.  
  
Not to mention, he was under the thumb of the formidable Heisenberg, and Mr. Walter White was worse. The bastard exploited and mistreated Jesse so seamlessly that it had taken Saul almost a year to realize he was systematically destroying the poor kid, like an emotionally abusive boyfriend.  
  
Actually, yes, that was the perfect analogy for their fucked-up relationship. Jesse had been under Mr. White’s control for so long and without ever really realizing that he’d become conditioned to deal with and be affected by Walt’s psychotic, subjugating, manipulative bullshit that he couldn't walk away, not without help. Major Stockholm syndrome.  
]  
Saul was determined to keep Jesse safe this time, out of Walt’s hands. He wanted to get him healthy again, and happy for the first time in maybe ever. Jesse had always struck him by how sad he was, despite his cocky self-assured exterior. He knew his parents barely spoke to him and Mr. White had once told him that he was the only teacher to ever even try to help Jesse back in high school, which didn't bode well for the rest of Jesse’ academic and personal growth. His meth-head friends who, though genuine in their affection towards him, and him to them, were no good for him. Not to quote Pink Floyd but they were just another brick in the wall, blocking his path.  
  
Saul could tell Jesse was smart, a lot smarter than anyone gave him credit for, including Mr. White and himself. The kid needed praise, craved it really. It was obvious nobody ever cared enough to tell him ‘good job, Jesse, well done’, at least not without an ulterior motive.  
  
He was determined to give Jesse his life back.


	2. Chapter 2

Saul must have dozed off because he was woken up by Jesse screaming from the bedroom. The lawyer swore and sprinted into the bedroom, half expecting to see Walter White standing over the bed with a knife or a gun or a fucking chloroform-soaked handkerchief. 

No, it was just Jesse. 

Alone in that big bed, screaming himself hoarse as night terrors filled his mind. 

Saul wrapped his arms around the kid and pulled him to sit up against his own chest, holding him tightly. His thrashing slowly weakened then stopped and his screams quietened to sobs, gasping for breath.

Saul continued to hold him gently but firmly, affirming he was there to help, rubbing his chest in calming circles like a mother does for a child with a cough. The racked sobs slowly soothed into little pants and quiet sniffs and snivels. 

“W-where am I..?” he asked once he’d gotten his breath back a bit. Saul got up and went to the other side of the bed, so Jesse could see him, and flicked on the bedside lamp. Jesse flinched at the sudden brightness and, shielding his eyes, frowned up at his host’s silhouette. “Wait, Saul..? Is this your place?”

“Yep, welcome to my humble abode, kiddo. So, are we going to talk about your nightmare or are you going back to sleep?”

“Is…is there a third option..?” Jesse asked quietly. 

“’Fraid not, kid. What did you dream about?”

“Um…Gale…Jane, Tuco, Fring, Drew Sharp, Mr. White…Brock and Andrea…my aunt Ginny…” 

“Ok, that narrows it down, thanks.” Saul said, trying to joke but it was hard when the kid literally radiated pain and loss. “You want something to drink? Warm milk or cocoa or something? It really helps when you can’t sleep, what d’you say?” he spoke softly and gently but not condescending; Jesse didn’t need to be patronized. The electric eyes glanced at him then down and he nodded.

“Yeah, ok…that sounds good..” he said, sitting up and wiping his face with the back of his hand. Saul smiled and got up, gesturing for Jesse to follow him. He glanced at the clock on his way out: 9pm. Well, a drugged 4 hours wasn’t a bad start. 

Jesse sat at Saul’s breakfast bar, his head on his forearm as he fought off fatigue and nightmares in equal measures. Saul made the kid a hot cocoa and was about to put another couple of Valiums in when he remembered Jesse was clean and probably wouldn’t appreciate being drugged again, plus the kid was so skinny he could easily overdose from the two earlier. 

“Here you go, kiddo. Let me know if you want marshmallows or whipped cream or…anything, really.. Are you hungry?” Jesse shook his head, pulling the steaming mug towards himself. 

“No…thanks..”

“Ok, you just let me know when your stomach starts growling or, you know, eating itself. Jesus, kid, seriously, when did you last eat?”

“I ate yesterday..”

“An actual meal?” Jesse went quiet again, Saul took that as a no. He sighed, sipping his own decaf coffee. “I’m trying to help you, kid…you know that, right?” 

Jesse nodded slowly, suggesting he didn’t know that. “I don’t want to see you waste away, you know? I hate seeing you like this, even miss your dumb jokes and little shit attitude.” Jesse looked at him, eyes wide like the thought of someone actually caring what happened to him was shocking to him. Saul sighed. “C’mon, kid, eat something, please? How about grilled cheese?” Jesse looked down, like he was trying to hide from the question. “Well, I’m making myself one, I’ll make you one too.” He said, getting bread and cheese out and getting to work. Jesse sighed but didn’t object. 

He watched Saul making sandwiches in the frying pan, face squished up against his own palm. His eyes were stinging and his head hurt from crying and he had to admit he was pretty hungry. 

“How do you like it, kid? A little ketchup? Worcestershire sauce? My cousin eats grilled cheese with beets, if you’re into that.” Jesse looked at him, frowning. 

“Gross.” 

“My thoughts exactly.” Saul said with a chuckle, placing a plate of grilled cheese in front of Jesse. “What’ll it be?”

“Um, ketchup, please.” He said and Saul nodded, getting a bottle out of the cabinet, placing it beside the plate. Jesse thanked him, squeezing some red sauce onto the side of his plate for dipping. Saul smiled and joined him. He removed the top slice of bread and put on Worcestershire and tomato sauce onto his sandwich. 

Saul glanced over as he dug into his own sandwich, seeing Jesse’s still shaking hands ripping pieces of bread off a morsel at a time, dipping it in ketchup then slowly putting it in his mouth, as if forcing himself to eat it. He smiled slightly, glad he was at least trying, and they quietly ate their food. Jesse got through slightly less than half the sandwich before giving up with a sigh. 

“Can’t eat anymore…” he mumbled, pushing the plate away. 

“That’s ok, kid, I’m just glad you ate something. Now, think you’ll be able to get back to sleep?” he asked. Jesse shook his head slowly. “How about a movie?” he suggested. Jesse looked at him and smiled. 

“Sounds good..” he said. They went into the living room and sat on far ends of the sofa again, Saul looking through the channels until he found some old British comedy where they made a ton of innuendoes and it was vaguely based on Frankenstein. (a/n: the movie is Carry On Screaming (1966) and it’s amazing if you want to watch it!)

“Ahh, a classic. Watch and learn, kiddo, this is the mother of risqué British humor.” He said with chuckle.

“Dude, just say ‘risky’, you don’t gotta say it like that..” he muttered grumpily. Saul stared at him for a moment before laughing, patting his shoulder. 

“No, kid, risqué – it’s French, means like, uh, salacious, lewd.” Jesse just frowned at him. Saul sighed. “Have you ever seen the Rocky Horror Picture Show?” Jesse nodded, still peering at him like he was crazy. “That’s risqué. It just like when something is shocking because it’s a bit indecent.” Jesse just looked slightly confused now. Saul smiled. “I guess nowadays it’s not really a thing anymore but, back in the day, it really made the squares grumble.” He said, chuckling. Jesse smirked, his eyes on the TV. 

He still looked drawn, pale and exhausted. His bones were so obvious it made Saul feel like he should be wrapped in bubble wrap to stop him breaking. He made a mental note to Google anorexia and sleep deprivation.


	3. Chapter 3

Saul came into the bedroom to find Jesse sitting on the window ledge, smoking with the window open despite the chill of the breeze. He was talking on the phone so Saul kept his distance. 

“Yeah, I’m ok now, better anyway… What? No, you asshole, of course not. Yeah, I will…yeah, Saul’s takin’ care of it.. Um, kinda, I got about five hours last night..” Saul knew that was a lie but kept his mouth shut. “Ok, yeah, I will… Thanks.. Ok, I’ll see you then…bye.” He hung up, looking over at Saul as he took another drag on his cigarette, running his thumb over his eyelid as he exhaled the smoke slowly. Saul took that as his cue to go over. 

“Who was that?” he asked with a smile, sitting on the armchair beside the window. Jesse had only jumped a little, which was an improvement.

“Huh? Oh, just Mike – he wanted to know how I’m, like, doin’..” he said, Saul noticed his hand trembling a little when he took his next drag. 

“And how are you doing?”

“Um…ok, I guess. Not 100% or anythin’ yet but…maybe, like…10..?”

“Well, that’s a start, I suppose. You wanna come and watch some TV?” Saul asked, knowing the answer. 

“Uh, n-no thanks, I’m gonna…sit here for a little longer..” he said, looking down, taking another drag quickly. His hand was shaking a little more. 

“Ok, feel free to join me at any point. I’m gonna order pizza in a little while, if you want in?”

“Um, yeah…maybe..” he said, looking out the window again. Saul nodded and stood up. 

“Alrighty. I’ll be in the living room.” He said, impulsively patting Jesse’s shoulder before leaving the room. He felt him tense but only a little.

He grabbed himself a cold beer from the fridge and sat down on the sofa, turning on the TV. He soon found an old war movie and let his mind wander, waiting for Jesse to slink in. 

It was just under an hour later when Jesse finally appeared, dropping onto the sofa beside Saul and asking what he was watching. 

“Huh? Oh, some World War II movie…not really sure what’s going on, to be honest.” He said with a smile, looking at Jesse properly. The kid was looking a little better, at least he didn’t look as tired as he did even a couple of days ago. Despite the nightmares, he was improving how many hours he got in before they hit and, occasionally, he was even able to go back to sleep after they happened. “How’s Mike?”

“Uh, he’s good. He said Mr. White’s been on Fring’s ass about not having anyone to cook with..” he said, rubbing the back of his neck – a nervous gesture, one of many. 

“He’s just gonna have to deal with it for a while then, isn’t he..” Saul said with a sigh, trying to keep the edge out of his voice. Jesse looked at him and smiled, nodding.

“Yeah, he is.” He said and Saul smiled at him, he loved Jesse’s smile. 

They sat watching the boring movie for another fifteen minutes or so until Jesse sighed impatiently. 

“This movie sucks.” He said. Saul chuckled and shrugged. 

“It’s not great, is it? Let’s see what else is on..” he said, picking up the remote and looking through the channel guide. 

“Aw, dude, put Iron Chef on!” Jesse said after a moment. Saul selected it and it came on, the melodramatic cooking competition show flashing and thundering at them. Jesse laughed. “We used to watch this after school, it’s awesome.” He said, grinning. 

Saul grinned back. He finally saw the old Jesse again. 

*

It had been almost a month since Jesse came to live with Saul when he realized how attractive the kid was. It had been a rainy day and Jesse was sitting in the doorway of the balcony, smoking a cigarette. It was a humid day and Saul’s air conditioning was busted, so he was wearing a T-shirt and shorts. He sat on the floor, ashtray outside while he sat on the carpet, one leg up to rest his elbow on, his head back and his eyes closed.   
Saul found himself staring at him. 

Jesse must have felt his eyes on him because he looked up, pale eyes vivid in contrast with the grey sky. 

“Sorry, is it ok if I smoke here? It’s pissing it down out there.” He said, tapping the ash into the tray outside. Saul snapped himself out of it and nodded. 

“Yeah, no – sure, kid.” He said, going over to sit with him. “How’s the air?” he asked, smirking. Jesse breathed a laugh, taking another puff before replying. 

“Heavy.” He said, making Saul chuckle. 

“I hate this kind of weather. Hot and wet? What the fuck, nature?”

“Sounds kinda sexy when you put it like that..” Jesse said softly, looking out into the horizon, the sighed. “Too bad it just makes you feel like a wet towel..” he said. Saul grinned. 

“True.” He said. “Hey, can I have one of those?” he asked, gesturing to the pack of smokes beside Jesse. He looked at him and nodded.

“Yeah, sure, dude.” He said, leaning forward to give him the pack and his lighter. Saul thanked him, lighting one and sighed out he smoke, leaning against the cool of the glass door. “I didn’t know you smoked.” He said, looking at Saul. He shrugged. 

“Used to, but I quit…but I guess I’m weak to my own desire.” He said and Jesse smirked, taking a lot drag. His pale eyes strayed over Saul’s face almost thoughtfully, then he looked outside again. Saul’s heart fluttered and he didn’t know why.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoiler alert for the Shining, but really it’s been out for almost 40 years so who’s really to blame if you haven’t seen it? Enjoy!

So, maybe he did find Saul kind of attractive. 

Maybe he was just the only person he’d seen in a while and he was horny as fuck. Maybe Saul was pretty sexy. Maybe he hadn’t been outside in a while. Maybe he just hadn’t seen boobs in a while. 

Maybe Saul’s muscles under his shirt were pretty hot. Maybe his jaw was strong and square. Maybe Jesse wanted to sit on his lap and run his fingers through his silky hair. 

Maybe Jesse wanted to sit on his face. 

“Fuck…” Jesse muttered to himself, jacking himself off in the shower for the thousandth time. Saul kept commenting he took long showers. 

Saul showers naked. “Ok, no..” Jesse muttered to himself. He finished himself off quickly, letting out a shaking, shivering gasp when he finally came in his hand, and immediately felt like shit. 

He got out of the shower, drying his hair before wrapping his towel around his hips. He headed back to the spare bedroom, which had now been his for just over a month, to get dressed. He was just about to pull off his towel, when he heard the front door open, and Saul’s voice as he talked on the phone. Jesse’s heart suddenly started pounding and he felt compelled to go see him, despite being almost naked. 

Saul stood by the door, clearly having an unpleasant conversation on the phone. His hand rested on his hip, one knee bent slightly as he rested his weight on the other leg, his eyes cast skywards as he tried to talk to whoever it was. 

“No, you listen to me, you agreed- …Yes, of course it’s part of the bill, it was written in the contract you signed. Well, good luck losing that murder charge without me, because you’re looking at 10-15 minimum. Oh, what’s that? You want me to keep your case? You’ll pay the full amount? Excellent, see you next week then.” He said with a smirk and hung up, sighing heavily as he pulled his tie loose. 

He removed his jacket then looked up, noticing Jesse hovering in the doorway. He smiled. “Hey, kid. Uh, sorry about that – stupid client didn’t realize he had to pay for a lawyer..” he muttered, shaking his head. He looked tired. 

“Oh, no, man, it’s cool..” he said with a shrug, feeling a little awkward now that he was actually standing in front of Saul in just a towel. 

Saul smirked at him as he poured himself a glass of scotch, Jesse could have sworn he saw his eyes glance down his body as he looked away, and he realized he liked that. 

He took a deep breath before he spoke again. “Hey, uh, I think there’s something wrong with the shower..? It wasn’t, like, flowing as good as usual…maybe it’s, uh, like a limescale thing…or something..?” he asked, knowing plumbing wasn’t exactly a good way to broach a possible ‘fuck me’ situation, but hey. 

“Uh, ok, kid…I’ll take a look at it later..” he muttered, with a sigh, sitting down heavily on the sofa. Jesse nodded and went into the bedroom to change. 

He returned dressed in boxer shorts and a T-shirt, the heat outside battling with the apartment AC. He sighed and sat opposite Saul.

“Don’t worry about the shower, I think I fixed it.” He said and Saul smiled with a nod. 

“Great, thanks, kiddo.” He said. “So, I’m thinking maybe pizza tonight? What do you say?” he asked and Jesse smiled.

“Sounds great.” He said. “How was your day?” he asked after a moment. Saul looked at him and visibly straightened, the smile returning a little more genuinely. Jesse wandered when someone had last asked Saul that question… 

“Oh, you know, crappy. People are such idiots sometimes. Like, I had this one guy come in – he’s maybe 50, 55?” Jesse nodded, Saul smirked, sitting forward a little. “He asks me if there is any way he would have been allowed to legally attend a high school PE class – says it was for his health, he needs someone to teach him how to exercise.” Jesse frowned and Saul nodded. “Yeah, right? Then I take a little looksy at his criminal history and turns out he’s been arrested five times before this for breaking into high schools with the intent of assaulting teenage girls!” Jesse’s face contorted with disgust, making a grossed out noise.

“Shit… Are you gonna represent him?” he asked. Saul scoffed and shook his head.

“Hell no, I’m not that much of an asshole. As a rule, I don’t represent rapists or pedophiles. He qualifies as both, so I had Huelle escort him from the premises.” He said with a sigh, sipping his drink before looking at Jesse again. “Why are you so happy?” he asked, smirking. It was then Jesse became aware of his own smile, and looked down.

“Uh, you know, just glad you’re a, like, decent human being and all that…” he said with a shy smile that made Saul’s heart swell. The lawyer chuckled and sat forward, placing his glass down on the coffee table before standing up. 

“I’m gonna go change into something more comfortable. Uh, you wanna pick a movie?” he asked, pulling his tie off all together. Jesse looked at him and nodded. 

“Uh, yeah, sure. Any particular kind?”

“Whatever is fine, up to you.” He said before heading off to his room. Jesse sighed and went over to the cabinet full of DVDs, wondering if Saul had actually seen all of these. There was literally hundreds, maybe thousands depending how many means of storage he had hidden away, and most of them Jesse had never even heard of. There was a lot foreign cinema – French, German, Japanese, Brazilian… Jesus, Jesse could barely watch stuff in English without getting lost, subtitles were even worse. 

He selected one of the few movies he recognized, The Shining. He’d never actually seen it, but he vaguely remembered it being on the syllabus when he almost took a semester of Film in high school. He ended up taking Shop, which he found he enjoyed immensely, and he still kind of missed making things with his hands. Maybe that was why he’d enjoyed cooking with Mr. White so much – Mr. White excluded. 

He put it on and waited for Saul to return, getting them both a cold beer from the fridge. 

Saul returned wearing comfortable-looking sweatpants and a plain black T-shirt, looking a lot more relaxed and, Jesse thought, pretty hot. He’d given up denying his feelings of attraction towards Saul, but was still nervous about acting on them. 

Saul grinned at the DVD menu, recognizing it immediately. 

“Great choice, kid. Have you seen this before?” he asked, graciously taking the opened beer he handed him. Jesse was about to lie but then decided not to, shrugging. 

“Uh, no. I just, uh, it was the only one I, like, recognized… You have a lot of movies, dude..” he said. Saul chuckled, sitting on the couch beside Jesse. 

“Yeah, I guess you could say I’m a film geek.” He said, smiling at Jesse, who smirked. “I should warn you, though, it’s pretty scary.” He said, playing the movie and the long intro over the mountains began. 

“Oh, really? Like the Blair Witch Project scary?” he asked. 

“Uh, I’d say scarier – and not as much motion sickness. Definitely bigger budget.” He said with a grin, making Jesse chuckle. “You’ve seen Blair Witch then, huh?”

“Yeah, I didn’t think it was that great though – I mean I know it was super low budget it and everything but, yeah, wasn’t super impressed... I saw it with a buddy, and he almost puked.” He said, grinning at the memory. Skinny Pete did not have a strong stomach. 

Saul laughed, getting up to turn off the lights, saying they needed to be ‘more immersed’. He then returned to sit next to Jesse, grinning excitedly. 

“Am I gonna shit my pants?” Jesse asked, concerned about the darkness. Saul laughed.

“I hope not, kid, this is a new couch.” He said, making Jesse smirk, and played the movie, turning the volume up so it hit on the surround sound. “Sound is a big part of what makes it scary.” Saul said. 

Jesse was starting to get nervous. He was jumpy at the best of times, now they were about to watch something that was designed to make him scared... He settled back into the sofa cushion, his shoulders tense and his eyes trained on the screen.

“Oh, cool – I like this guy, he was a wicked Joker.” Jesse said, pointing to Jack Nicholson. Saul nodded, grinning.

“That he was.” He said, Jesse smiling back at him. 

They watched for about an hour, when the mood started to get distinctly more tense and scary. Jesse felt his body tense as he watched Jack Nicholson walking towards the forbidden room 237. 

He watched, wide-eyed, as Jack walked into a mint-green bathroom and, very slowly, the shower curtain was moved aside to reveal a naked woman. Jack grinned and they embraced, kissing passionately, while clips of the kid, Danny, having some kind of fit, alternated. Jesse was just getting confused when the camera angle changed to zoom on Jack’s face. 

He looked over the woman’s shoulder and his eyes widened in horror. Then it revealed what he was seeing. The woman’s back was rotting, sections of flesh moldy and decaying, and she was suddenly bigger, flabbier. 

Jack pulled back to see the beautiful model-like woman had become a gross old lady, rotted and disgusting, while more clips showed her lying in bath water, her skin congealed and putrid, alternating between Jack backing away from the one in front of him, and the one in the bath, who slowly began to rise up. 

Jesse felt a mixture of horror and true fear and he felt himself shifting closer to Saul, breathing suddenly difficult. He picked his feet up off the ground, suddenly extremely paranoid, and his hands reached for Saul, terror filling his mind as the old lady began to slowly chase Jack, her arms outstretched as she laughed menacingly. 

Jesse jumped when he felt Saul’s arm wrap around him and he looked up to see him looking at him with a smile and a slight frown. 

“Kid, it’s ok, I got you..” he said, rubbing Jesse’s arm. “You ok?” he asked. 

“Uh, y-yeah…sorry, that kind of freaked me out..” he said, panting slightly. The scene was over, moving onto the chef in Miami trying to get a hold of the family, and Jesse finally relaxed. “Fuck, that got me, dude..” he said, his heart still pounding. 

“Sorry, kid, I didn’t think you’d be so affected by it. I can turn it off if you-”

“No…no, I’m ok, I just – old ladies and stuff, man...” He said with a forced, shaky smile. Saul nodded, still frowning a little at him. 

“Ok, if you’re sure. I don’t want to give you any more nightmares than you already get…” he said.

“To be honest, I think I’d rather dream about that than the stuff I dream about now…at least I know this ain’t real.” He said honestly. Saul sighed and nodded – shit, the kid’s life was a horror story. “But, uh…if you can, like, keep your arm around me…that would be good..” he said, turning back to the screen, and Saul could sworn his saw the signs of a blush on his skin. He grinned and nodded, shifting so his arm was more comfortably wrapped around Jesse. 

“You got it, kiddo..” he said, pulling Jesse closer so his head rested on his own shoulder. 

They watched the rest of the movie as close as possible. Nothing else really scared Jesse as much as the old lady had, but it was still a pretty scary movie. The party made him tense, as did the whole river of blood scene. The maze at the end, however, had him clinging to Saul, and Saul to him. 

When the movie was over, the credits rolling to an old timey orchestra-singer combo, Jesse looked at Saul and smiled. 

“Thanks…” he said and Saul grinned, his arm still around Jesse. Neither of them moved away, and neither seemed to want to. 

“Any time.” He said, his voice low. Jesse blushed at that, and stared up at Saul. Saul stared back at him, then glanced down at his lips and, in a flash, they were kissing. 

It was clumsy and rushed and their noses were touching in a weird way from the angle, but it felt good, right. Saul pulled away, panting slightly. Jesse was panting too, his lips wet and parted as those ocean-like eyes consumed him. 

“Ok?” Jesse asked after a moment. Saul nodded. 

“Yeah…you?” he asked. Jesse nodded. 

“Oh yeah..” he said, then a grin crossed his face and he laughed. Saul stared for a moment, memorizing the sound and sight, then he laughed too. They were kissing again after that, and Jesse’s hands were in Saul’s hair and Saul’s hands were on Jesse’s sides as he pushed him down onto his back. He moved a hand under the younger man’s shirt, feeling the soft skin and hard ribs, then down to the sharp hipbones. 

He felt Jesse jump and shiver at the feeling, moaning softly into Saul’s kiss. Saul took this as a ‘keep going’ and his palm found the hardness in Jesse’s boxers – the thin fabric doing almost nothing to conceal his erection. Jesse broke away at this with a hissed curse and moved his hand from Saul’s shoulder and down to find his cock hard too, tenting his sweatpants with impressive length. 

“Fuck, kid..!” Saul gasped, looking down at him, Jesse looked back. “Are we doing this?” he asked, hoping beyond all hope this wasn’t a joke, or Jesse thinking he owed Saul something. Jesse grinned and kissed him, flexing his fingers over his host’s sensitive cock. 

“Hell yeah, dude.” He said with a grin, and they kissed again.


End file.
